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 AfriGeneas Archives Slave Data Collection Surnames Database |
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African Ancestry in
Mississippi
When the government of the United States established the Mississippi Territory in 1798, the region around Natchez, which held the bulk of the population, contained about 5,000 whites and 3,500 slaves. Upon entering the union in 1817, Mississippi received slavery as a fully established economic and agricultural system. With the exception of the interior of the Delta region, which remained largely isolated and unsettled until after the Civil War, Mississippi by 1850 had been formed as illustrated by this county map. In 1817 Mississippi had a population of about 40,000 whites and 30,000 African Americans. By 1860 African Americans made up 50% of Mississippi's total population of approximately 791,000 people. The African American's place was solidly established, regulated by legal codes and fueled by the institution of slavery. At the time of its admission only the southern quarter and a narrow strip up the Mississippi to the Yazoo were open to legal settlement. The rest of the state was held by the Chickasaw and Choctow nations. By 1835 these Indian nations had lost all claims to their territory. An increasing flow of newcomers to the southern and eastern sections of the territory, mainly from Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, and the region above Mobile began to arrive. Those who arrived with sufficient capital quickly took possession of the better dark-soil lands and established plantations, leaving the cheaper uplands for those of lesser means. The French first introduced slavery into the Mississippi territory in the early 1700 and the English, who later settled into the territory, were eager purchasers of slaves. The African American population was concentrated in the sections where the agricultural plantation was most prominent. The general feeling in the state was that their labor was essential to maintaining the plantation economy, and the African American would work only as a slave.* Large numbers of slaves lived permanently in town, serving in a wide variety of occupations. In addition to the house servants, there were mechanics, draymen, hostlers, laborers, and washwomen. Some served as apprentices or helpers to white mechanics and builders, or worked in small factories catering to the local market. Free African Americans living in Mississippi reached their greatest number around 1840, when the census listed 1,336, and they declined steadily, numbering only 775 in 1860. A majority were in the southwestern counties, with 255 in Adams County alone. In 1860, during the last years of institutionalized slavery, African Americans in Mississippi numbered 437,303, compared with 353,901 whites. They were owned by 30,943 slaveholders, who possessed an average of 14.1 slaves each. The great mass who were of working age were field hands. Relatively small numbers had received special training as artisans or house servants. Although slavery was abolished in 1865, African Americans living in Mississippi and throughout the south continued to be ruled by codes, institutionalized segregation. and the torment of the Ku Klux Klan. _______________________________________________________________ State & Local Resources Archives & Libraries National Archives, Southeast Region,1557 St. Joseph Ave.East Point, GA 30344, Phone (404)763-7477, Fax (404)763-7033, E-mail archives@atlanta.nara.gov States include: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee Evans Memorial Library, 105 N. Long St., Aberdeen, MS 39730 MS State Dept of Archives & History, PO Box 571, Jackson, MS 39762, Phone (601)359-6876, Fax (601)359-4263 MS State University, Mitchell Memorial Library, Drawer 9570, Mississippi State, MS 39762, Phone (601)325-3061, Fax (601)325-4263 University of Southern Mississippi, William David McCain Library, PO Box 5148, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-5148, Phone (601)266-4345 Jackson-Regional Library, 3214 S. Pascagoula St., Pascagoula, MS 39567 Genealogical Societies Mississippi Genealogical Society, PO Box 5301, Jackson, MS 39216-5301 Family Research Association of Mississippi, PO Box 13334, Jackson, MS 39236-3334 Jackson County Genealogical Society, c/o Else J. Martin, 6301 Country Lane, Pascagoula, MS 39581 Southern Mississippi Genealogical Society, 72 Boggy Hollow Rd., Purvis, MS 39475 Historical Societies Historical & Genealogical Association of Mississippi, 618 Avalon Rd., Jackson, MS 39206 Church Records Mississippi Baptist Historical Society, Mississippi College Library, PO Box 51,Clinton, MS 39056 J. B. Cain Archives of Mississippi Methodism, Millsaps-Wilson Library, Millsaps College, Jackson, MS 39210 _______________________________________________________________ Internet Resources The sites listed below are among the best resources on the internet for researching African American Ancestry in Mississippi Genealogy Resources on the Internet - Mississippi An Adams County Mississippi Slave Record Book - Includes a historic overview of recently discovered Natchez court records documenting over 1500 slave names and owners. United States Resources - Mississippi Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites - Mississippi Mississippi Web Sites by County Freedmen's Bureau On Line *Includes registered African American marriages in Mississippi 1863-1865 Black Marriages of Tallahatchie County, MS Genealogy Sites for Southern States Includes cemetary, church, marriage, tax & census records for Alcorn, Carroll, and Itawamba counties *Post a Query GenConnect Mississippi African American Resources *Mailing Lists Subscribe to AfriGeneas- Mississippi RootsWeb: To receive every posting individually, send a message to MSAFRICANAMER-L-request@rootsweb.com that contains the word: subscribe; For a Digest version, send the command instead to MSAFRICANAMER-D-request@rootsweb.com Using only the word: subscribe *Surnames Mississippi African-American Surname Index *Lookup Requests Linda Rudd, Census & Vital Statistic Records for Lincoln County, LRudd@aol.com Darlene Williams, Kemper County 1860 Slave Schedule. DWilli4162@aol.com The schedule list slaveowners & number of slaves. Volunteers are needed for lookups and research. If you have resources and the time, please contact me with your name, email, and the resource(s) you have access to. Thank You...GJM
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